Archive for February, 2014

Let’s talk a little bit about terrorism. What is terrorism? It used to be a somewhat covert, violent act against an enemy population, designed to incite terror through the realization that there is no protection against it, and they could strike at will. Small scale guerrilla warfare, but directed primarily against civilians.

But there’s many other forms of terrorism. How about the spreading news of something terrible, but relatively insignificant in terms of likelihood? Like, uh, say – oh, I don’t know – tularemia?

During 1990–2000, a total of 1,368 cases of tularemia were reported to CDC from 44 states, averaging 124 cases (range: 86–193) per year; 807 cases (59%) were reported as confirmed and 85 cases (6%) were reported as probable; the status of 476 cases is unknown. Most (91%) unclassified cases were reported during 1990–1992; all cases during 1990–1991 and 54% of cases from 1992 were not classified. The number of cases reported annually did not decrease substantially during the lapse in status as a notifiable disease during 1995–1999, but an increase in reporting occurred during 2000, when notifiable status was restored. Four states accounted for 56% of all reported tularemia cases: Arkansas (315 cases [23%]), Missouri (265 cases [19%]), South Dakota (96 cases [7%]), and Oklahoma (90 cases [7%]). – The CDC

Since rabbits are some of the most populous of neighborhood critters, this suggests that, perhaps, tularemia is not so common. It was relisted by the CDC in 2000 due to concern that it may be used in the creation of a bio-weapon. 14 years ago. Huh. So what makes this a headline today? Perhaps to keep a level of fear in those gullible enough to swallow it?

Besides: we all know how to truly weaponize a rabbit – and its manifestation seems about as likely as a bioweapon based on rabbit fever: